Houston police officer Matthew Jacob Marin shot and killed a one-armed, one-legged man in a wheelchair inside a group home because he felt threatened by a "metal object" the double amputee was waving. The "metal object?" A pen.

Marin and his partner were called to the group home at 2:30 am. According to a police spokesperson, Marin became trapped by the man, who was allegedly making threats and eventually came "within inches to a foot" of the officer.

"It was close quarters in the area of the house," Silva said. "The officer was forced into an area where he had no way to get out."
...

"Fearing for his partner's safety and his own safety, he discharged his weapon," Silva told The Associated Press.

Which is much more reasonable than, say, moving, or swatting away the pen, or using pepper spray, or just letting the man draw on you.

The victim, whose name has not yet been released, had been in the group home for for eighteen months. According to the home's owner, the man lost his arm and leg after he was hit by a train. He was also a bit of a crank.

"He sometimes would go off a bit, but you just ignore it," Garcia told the newspaper.

This is the second time Marin has shot and killed someone on the job. The first time, in 2009, sounds way more legitimate, though; he shot a man who was in the process stabbing his neighbor to death. No word if the "weapon" in that crime was also a pen.